U.S. News & World Report ranks Culver-Stockton College among best colleges in three categories

CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College has been ranked in several categories by U.S. News & World Report for 2025. The rankings were No. 10 Best Value School, No. 5 for Social Mobility and No. 25 in Regional Colleges Midwest.

Now in its 40th year, the U.S. News & World Report rankings evaluate nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality and emphasize social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students.

To be considered in the Regional Colleges Midwest, all schools must focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. These rankings are split into four divisions — North, South, Midwest and West. 

C-SC president Dr. Lauren Schellenberger said in a press release, “Culver-Stockton College is honored and proud to be recognized in multiple categories in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. We are pleased that the Culver-Stockton experience has been recognized as a high-value investment for the future that helps students advance far beyond their expectations thanks to our innovative curriculum, our supportive community and our emphasis on leadership development.”

U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with the comparative merits of the undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities. The rankings offer detailed information of the institutions and data on factors such as outcome measures — including graduation rates, graduate indebtedness and post-graduate earnings.

“For 40 years, Best Colleges has continued to evolve as a trusted companion to prospective students and their families during the decision-making process,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News. “The rankings and editorial content offer crucial data as well as college advice and informed reporting to all who seek a college education.”

Prospective students can see how C-SC compares to other institutions and how the rankings are calculated in the U.S. News’ Best Colleges.

Economically disadvantaged students are less likely than others to finish college, even when controlling for their achievement in high school. But some colleges are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants. The vast majority of these federal grants are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000. 

Knowing which schools offer students the best value is a major factor when students choose where to earn their degree. Determining a school’s ranking takes a couple of things into account: a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its 2025 U.S. News Best Colleges ranking, and the 2023-2024 net cost of attendance for an out-of-state student who received the average level of need-based financial aid. The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically. 

For more information about Culver-Stockton College, its campus, programs and culture, visit culver.edu.